The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC is not only the first (and only) single player DLC for The Last of Us, but it’s also developer Naughty Dog’s first time making single player DLC for one of their games.
I’m pleased to report that not only is Left Behind good, but it offers some of the best DLC content released for a PlayStation exclusive.
It’s a powerful story that gives us some insight into the origins of Elle and answers a lot of questions that fans had about her.
Story
Left Behind is all about exploring Elle before she goes on her cross-country journey in The Last of Us.
We also meet a new character, Riley, a long time friend of Elle’s who is slightly older and more brash than she is. The story mainly centers around the two BFF’s exploring a mall in the quarantine zone. Along the journey the player is able to explore the world in a new way, instead of being quiet and stealthy Elle is more playful and relaxed.
As the two girls go inside different stores and play with the different toys and nick-knacks, it becomes clear that this is just how Elle and Riley hang out. They have real human conversations, tell jokes, and goof off and laugh around . It’s definitely not something we’re used to seeing in the world of The Last of Us and I found it quiet, enjoyable, and fun. However, it’s not all fun and games all the way through. Without spoiling anything just know there are plenty of sad and grim moments to come in this DLC.
Gameplay
So far I may have led you to believe that there’s no combat in Left Behind. While there is combat, it has a new twist.
In the original game you went up against infected and human enemies separately. In Left Behind your pitted against both at the same time. This keeps combat fresh and exciting, and if you use your resources effectively you can lure the infected to the humans and have them fight each over. This is immensely satisfying and adds a new dynamic to an already brilliant combat design. However most of the gameplay is all about interacting with things in the mall and having cool and interesting conversations with Riley.
This may sound boring, but trust me when I say that it’s the best part of this DLC. So much so that I don’t think combat needed to be in here at all. But what is here is fun and refreshing and will keep players who love the combat engaged.
The Verdict
Left Behind is a great reason to play more of The Last of Us.
The whole content will last most players around 2-3 hours, depending on how much you choose to explore. While this may seem short the stuff that’s actually here is amazing, Left Behind is a must-buy if you already own The Last of Us. Naughty Dog has once again proven to be a master of story telling, and has left me excited for their next project.
